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Sunday, August 28, 2016

I took a little time this afternoon and worked up a list of possible themes for the 30 paintings in 30 days Challenge. Some of the artist participating in this Challenge are going to use one overarching theme for the whole month. I have decided to focus on a new technique for me and then break that process down into small, traditional elements of the artistic process. So I started jotting them down, this is what I have so far; line, shape, form,color, texture, value, and space.

Lines...A Line is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical,
or diagonal; straight or curved; thick or thin.

Shape...A Shape is a closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or
organic, like free-form or natural shapes. Shapes are at and can express length
and width.

Color...Color is light reflected off of objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue
(the name of the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it
is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).

Texture...Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or
smooth, soft or hard. Textures do not always feel the way they look; for exam-
ple, a drawing of a porcupine may look prickly, but if you touch the drawing, the
paper is still smooth.

Space...Space is the area between and around objects. The space around objects is of-
ten called negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the
feeling of depth. Real space is three-dimensional; in visual art, when we create
the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.

Value...Value refers to the lightness and darkness of areas in an artwork. White is the lightest value, while black is the darkest. A value scale shows a range of lights and darks.

As the week's progress I will be able to use more of these trDitional elements in the prints. This is going to be a really great Challenge.

In
less than 5 days the new 30 Paintings in 30 Day Challenge will begin. I
am really excited about this new challenge. For a little over a year I
have been starting off my morning with a cup of coffee and a daily
abstract painting. This past May I injured my knee and this part of my
morning had to be put on hold. Well, "I'm Back" Many artist will tell
you that one of the best ways to improve your craft is by ; painting,
painting and more painting. I completely agree. so here goes; My goal
is to spend the month of September working on a new technique. I love
the idea of creating my abstracts, incorporating more than one
technique. I have ordered a number of new materials from Blick
Art and Plaza Art for this upcoming challenge. On the not so small
list, is a new Gelli Plate. It is a great way to Monoprint without the
large press. It will allow great backgrounds to be created, using
masking, shapes can easily be incorporated into the abstract.Be
sure to stop by to check out the days results. I'll be sure to add a
link to my supply list as new material is included. Till Friday...Happy
Painting.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

I have been having a little trouble with my knee this past week and have been sorta house and ice pack bound. I posted this quote on my blog two years ago, shortly after Shawn had passed away, and was reminded of it by Facebook this past week. It so totally described Shawn's approach to living her life. This quote made me want to rethink how I spent my everyday over the last two years since her death. I can only say...she was so right! I want to live my life doing what I love, bring a smile and a little joy to the lives of others I touch. I am so grateful to have found my art. I am the lucky one, I know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my time here, while so many people I know, are still frantically searching or wasting their days just trying to stay busy.

I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the

end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and

errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the

car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my

walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw

parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I

want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the

Gift

Shauna Niequist

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

Rumi

Thank You for letting me share. I always end my blog post with a statement that has come to mean so much to me...

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

“I realized that I did not really know who I was as an artist. My work had always been subject to the needs of outside demands – for sale, for a commercial product, or as instructional examples – and I wanted to know what happened if I just made art as a personal inquiry. I still want to know, and it is that ongoing quest that keeps me motivated”.

One of the biggest differences I have observed since retiring from a full time teaching position(in science) is my ability to explore my making of art. I love the idea that Jane Davies shares. Instead of always creating art to sell, to please a specific client, what would happen if you created art as a process of exploration. There is so much out there just begging to be examined, tried and used. Starting at the beginning of September I will start a new 30 pieces in 30 days challenge. Let the process of exploration begin.